Dear All, I wrote quote #2 in 2006 after attending the NASA-Ames meeting, when the field of geoengineering was in a distinct "technological fix" mode. I was appalled by the tone of the discourse I had just experienced and wanted to alert the community of historians, humanists, and policy makers to the outrageous claims for climate control circulating at the time.
I wrote this as a prelude, a "hook" if you will, to a much longer history of intervention. The community interested in these ideas is much larger and somewhat more diverse now, and I am encouraged to see more humanists making contributions, but still, most every week, I read of rather outrageous notions for "controlling" Earth's climate. Jim Fleming - - - - - James R. Fleming Charles A. Dana Professor of Science, Technology, and Society, Colby College Series editor, Palgrave Studies in the History of Science and Technology *Inventing Atmospheric Science* (MIT Press, 2016), https://mitpress.mit.edu/atmospheric-science Profile: http://www.colby.edu/directory/profile/jfleming/ "Everything is unprecedented if you don't study history." On Thu, Feb 4, 2016 at 3:13 AM, Emily <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi all > > Useful looking list of books. > > 2 things jump out: > > 1. Lack of mention in the blurbs that IPCC relies upon CDR to have a > chance of staying below 2degC (noting we need the limit to be lower still). > Framing CDR as a back up plan, seems unjustifiable, as it is critical to > the 'plan A' as I read it. > > 2. The blurb about 'Fixing the Sky' includes this phrase: "...Forget cuts > in greenhouse gas emissions, some scientists argue. Instead, bounce > sunlight back into space..." I wonder whether scientists really do say that > at all. I don't see this as a real reflection of the discorse. > > Given these two thoughts, and the number of books available - making it > tough to read them all, and my feeling that some of the books on offer > clearly have an agenda, does anyone have a view which of these books gives > a fairly balanced discussion, also accepting the IPCC view of the need for > CDR and one which avoids slandering scientists generically? > > Thanks, > Emily > Sent from my BlackBerry® > ------------------------------ > *From: * Andrew Lockley <[email protected]> > *Sender: * [email protected] > *Date: *Wed, 3 Feb 2016 14:29:29 +0000 > *To: *geoengineering<[email protected]> > *ReplyTo: * [email protected] > *Subject: *[geo] Bookshelf: Engineering the atmosphere - Yale Climate > Connections > > > http://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2016/02/bookshelf-engineering-the-atmosphere/ > > Bookshelf: Engineering the Atmosphere > By Michael Svoboda on Feb 2, 2016 > > This month's compendium of timely books address the multifaceted > technological, political, social, economic, and ethical issues surrounding > geoengineering, humanity's 'Plan B' (or X?) for combating excessive global > warming. > > Geoengineering. For some it’s a prudent insurance policy to protect > against what-if scenarios if societies’ efforts to combat excessive global > warming fails to manage what modern societies themselves have created. For > many others, it’s a last-resort, pull-out-all-the-stops Hail Mary pass > fraught with its own problems and unknowns. > > This month’s climate bookshelf feature is again compiled by bibliophile > Michael Svoboda of George Washington University, a former book-store owner > and regular contributor. Descriptions are drawn from the publishers’ copy. > > How to Cool the Planet: Geoengineering and the Audacious Quest to Fix > Earth’s Climate, by Jeff Goodell (Mariner Books, 2010; 276 pages, $14.95 > paperback) > > Climate discussions often focus on potential impacts over a long period of > time – several decades, a century even. But change could also happen much > more suddenly. What if we had a real climate emergency – how could we cool > the planet in a hurry? This question has led a group of scientists to > pursue extreme solutions: huge contraptions that would suck CO2 from the > air, machines that brighten clouds and deflect sunlight away from the > earth, even artificial volcanoes that spray heat-reflecting particles into > the atmosphere. This is the radical and controversial world of > geoengineering. In How to Cool the Planet, Jeff Goodell explores the > scientific, political, and moral aspects of geoengineering. . . . There are > certainly risks, but Goodell persuades us that geoengineering may be our > last best hope, a Plan B for the environment. > > Hack the Planet: Science’s Best Hope – or Worst Nightmare – for Averting > Climate Catastrophe, by Eli Kintisch (Wiley, 2010; 280 pages, $25.95) > > Scientists are developing geoengineering techniques for worst-case > scenarios. . . . [In Hack the Planet, Science magazine reporter] Kintisch > outlines four: collapsing ice sheets, megadroughts, a catastrophic methane > release, and slowing of the global ocean conveyor belt. As incredible and > outlandish as many [geoengineering] plans may seem, could they soon become > our only hope for avoiding calamity? Or will the plans of brilliant and > well-intentioned scientists cause unforeseeable disasters? And does the > advent of geoengineering mean that humanity has failed in its role as > steward of the planet – or taken on a new responsibility? Kintisch’s > investigation of the [possibilities and dangers of geoengineering] is > required reading as the debate over global warming shifts to whether > humanity should Hack the Planet. > > Geo-Engineering Climate Change: Environmental Necessity or Pandora’s Box?, > Edited by Brian Launder and J. Michael T. Thompson > (Cambridge University Press, 2010; 332 pages, $69.60 (at Amazon)) > > This book is the first to present a detailed and critical appraisal of the > geo-scale engineering interventions that have been proposed as potential > measures to counter the devastation of run-away global warming. Early > chapters set the scene with a discussion of projections of future CO2 > emissions and techniques for predicting climate tipping points. Subsequent > chapters then review proposals to limit CO2 concentrations through improved > energy technologies, removal of CO2 from the atmosphere, and stimulated > uptake by the oceans. Schemes for solar radiation management involving the > reflection of sunlight back into space and using artificially brightened > clouds and stratospheric aerosols are also assessed. Pros and cons of the > various schemes are thoroughly examined – throwing light on the passionate > public debate about their safety. > > Fixing the Sky: The Checkered History of Weather and Climate Control, by > James Rodger Fleming (Columbia University Press, 2010; 344 pages, $24.95 > paperback) > > As alarm over global warming spreads, a radical idea is gaining momentum. > Forget cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, some scientists argue. Instead, > bounce sunlight back into space by pumping reflective nanoparticles into > the atmosphere. Launch mirrors into orbit around the Earth. Make clouds > thicker and brighter to create a “planetary thermostat.” . . . For more > than a century, scientists, soldiers, and charlatans have tried to > manipulate weather and climate, and like them, today’s climate engineers > wildly exaggerate what is possible. Scarcely considering the political, > military, and ethical implications of managing the world’s climate, these > individuals hatch schemes with potential consequences that far outweigh > anything their predecessors might have faced. [In Fixing the Sky], James > Rodger Fleming traces the tragicomic history of the rainmakers, rain > fakers, weather warriors, and climate engineers who have been both full of > ideas and full of themselves. . . . [He] speaks to anyone who has a stake > in sustaining the planet. > > Climate Change Geoengineering: Philosophical Perspectives, Legal Issues, > and Governance Frameworks, Edited by Wil C. Burns and Andrew L. Strauss > (Cambridge University Press, 2013; 328 pages, $35.99) > > The international community is not taking the action necessary to avert > dangerous increases in greenhouse gases. Facing a potentially bleak future, > the question that confronts humanity is whether the best of bad > alternatives may be to counter global warming through human-engineered > climate interventions. In this book, eleven prominent authorities on > climate change consider the legal, policy, and philosophical issues > presented by geoengineering. > > Earthmasters: The Dawn of the Age of Climate Engineering, by Clive > Hamilton (Yale University Press, 2013; 264 pages, $20.00 paperback) > > International efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have all failed, > and before the end of the century Earth is projected to be warmer than it > has been for 15 million years. The question “can the crisis be avoided?” > has been superseded by a more frightening one, “what can be done to prevent > the devastation of the living world?” . . . [In Earthmasters, Clive > Hamilton] lays out the arguments for and against climate engineering, and > reveals the extent of vested interests linking researchers, venture > capitalists, and corporations. He then examines what it means for human > beings to be making plans to control the planet’s atmosphere, probes the > uneasiness we feel with the notion of exercising technological mastery over > nature, and challenges the ways we think about ourselves and our place in > the natural world. > > A Case for Climate Engineering, by David Keith (Boston Review Books / The > MIT Press, 2013; 112 pages, $16.95) > > A leading scientist long concerned about climate change, Keith . . . > argues that, after decades during which very little progress has been made > in reducing carbon emissions, we must put [climate engineering] on the > table and consider it responsibly. That doesn’t mean we will deploy it, and > it doesn’t mean that we can abandon efforts to reduce greenhouse gas > emissions. But we must understand fully what research needs to be done and > how the technology might be designed and used. [He] provides a clear and > accessible overview of what the costs and risks might be, and how climate > engineering might fit into a larger program for managing climate change. > > Engineering the Climate: The Ethics of Solar Radiation Management, Edited > by Christopher J. Preston (Lexington Books, 2013; 278 pages, $36.99 > paperback) > > Climate engineering (also known as geoengineering) has recently > experienced a surge of interest given the growing likelihood that the > global community will fail to limit the temperature increases associated > with greenhouse gases to safe levels. . . . One particular form, solar > radiation management (SRM), is known to be relatively cheap and capable of > bringing down global temperatures very rapidly. However, the complexity of > the climate system creates considerable uncertainty about the precise > nature of SRM’s effects in different regions. The ethical issues raised by > the prospect of SRM are both complex and thorny. . . . A sustained and > scholarly treatment of [these issues] is necessary before it will be > possible to make fair and just decisions about whether (or how) to proceed. > This book, including essays by 13 experts in the ethics of geoengineering, > [begins that process]. > > Geoengineering of the Climate System, Edited by R. M. Harrison et al > (Royal Society of Chemistry, 2014; 270 pp. $108.00 (Amazon)) > > Geoengineering of the Climate System presents an overview of the > technologies currently being considered as large scale solutions to climate > change, and considers some of the possible benefits and disadvantages of > each. [With] invited contributions . . . by many of the leading experts on > these technologies, the volume provides a comprehensive overview of both > carbon dioxide reduction and solar radiation management methods [and then > reviews the] important ethical and governance issues [to which they give > rise]. Written with active researchers, postgraduate students and > policy-makers in mind, this latest addition to the Issues in Environmental > Science & Technology series presents a balanced and informed view of this > important field of research and is an essential addition to any > environmental science library. > > Can Science Fix Climate Change: A Case Against Climate Engineering, by > Mike Hulme (Wiley/Polity, 2014; 144 pages, $12.95) > > Climate change seems to be an insurmountable problem. Political solutions > have so far had little impact. Some scientists are now advocating the > so-called “Plan B”, a more direct way of reducing the rate of future > warming by reflecting more sunlight back to space, creating a thermostat in > the sky. . . . Drawing upon a distinguished career studying the science, > politics and ethics of climate change, Mike Hulme shows why using science > to fix the global climate is undesirable, ungovern-able and unattainable. > Science and technology should instead serve the more pragmatic goals of > increasing societal resilience to weather risks, improving regional air > quality and driving forward an energy technology transition. Seeking to > reset the planet’s thermostat is not the answer. > > Climate Intervention: Carbon Dioxide Removal and Reliable Sequestration, > by Committee on Geoengineering the Climate (National Academies Press, 2015; > 154 pages, $49.95 paper) A PDF for this book can be downloaded for free > from this webpage. > > As one of a two-book report, Climate Intervention: Carbon Dioxide Removal > and Reliable Sequestration introduces possible CDR approaches and then > discusses them in depth. Land management practices, such as low-till > agriculture, reforestation and afforestation, ocean iron fertilization, and > land-and-ocean-based accelerated weathering, could amplify the rates of > processes that are already occurring as part of the natural carbon cycle. > Other CDR approaches, such as bioenergy with carbon capture and > sequestration, direct air capture and sequestration, and traditional carbon > capture and sequestration, seek to capture CO2 from the atmosphere and > dispose of it by pumping it underground at high pressure. This book looks > at the pros and cons of these options and estimates possible rates of > removal and total amounts that might be removed. > > Climate Intervention: Reflecting Sunlight to Cool Earth, by Committee on > Geoengineering the Climate (National Academies Press, 2015; 154 pages, > $49.95 paper) A PDF for this book can be downloaded for free from this > webpage. > > As one of a two-book report, this volume discusses albedo modification – > changing the fraction of incoming solar radiation that reaches the surface. > This approach would deliberately modify the energy budget of Earth to > produce a cooling designed to compensate for some of the effects of warming > associated with greenhouse gas increases. The prospect of large-scale > albedo modifcation raises political and governance issues at national and > global levels, as well as ethical concerns. Climate Intervention: > Reflecting Sunlight to Cool Earth discusses [these issues and concerns]. In > the spirit of transparency [critical for these discussions, this report] > was based on peer-reviewed literature and the judgments of the authoring > committee; no new research was done as part of this study and all data and > information used are from entirely open sources. . . . [Leaders should > understand] the consequences of albedo modification approaches before they > face a decision whether or not to use them. > > Experiment Earth: Responsible Innovation in Geoengineering, by Jack > Stilgoe (Routledge/Earthscan, 2015; 222 pages, $145.00) > > Experiments in geoengineering – intentionally manipulating the Earth’s > climate to reduce global warming – have become the focus of a vital debate > about responsible science and innovation. Drawing on three years of > sociological research working with scientists on one of the world’s first > major geoengineering projects, this book examines the politics of > experimentation. Geoengineering provides a test case for rethinking the > responsibilities of scientists and asking how science can take better care > of the futures that it helps bring about. This book gives students, > researchers and the general reader interested in the place of science in > contemporary society a compelling framework for future thinking and > discussion. > > The Planet Remade: How Geoengineering Could Change the World, by Oliver > Morton (Princeton University Press, 2015; 440 pages, $29.95) > > The Planet Remade explores the history, politics, and cutting-edge science > of geoengineering. Morton weighs both the promise and perils of these > controversial strategies and puts them in the broadest possible context. > The past century’s changes to the planet – to the clouds and the soils, to > the winds and the seas, to the great cycles of nitrogen and carbon – have > been far more profound than most of us realize. Appreciating those changes > clarifies not just the scale of what needs to be done about global warming, > but also our relationship to nature. . . . [Morton] addresses the deep fear > that comes with seeing humans as a force of nature, and asks what it might > mean . . . to try and use that force . . . to meet the challenge of climate > change. > > Systems Thinking for Geoengineering Policy: How to Reduce the Threat of > Dangerous Climate Change by Embracing Uncertainty and Failure, by Robert > Chris (Routledge / Earthscan, 2015; 212 pages, $145.00) > > Systems Thinking for Geoengineering Policy is the first book to [discuss] > geoengineering in terms of complex adaptive systems theory and to argue for > the theoretical imperative of adaptive management . . . for confronting the > inescapable uncertainty and surprise that characterize potential climate > futures. The book illustrates how a shift from the conventional > Enlightenment paradigm of linear reductionist thinking, in favor of systems > thinking, would promote robust policies [for] the widest range of plausible > futures . . . and could also unlock the policy paralysis caused by making > [agreement on] long term predictions a prior condition for policy > formulation. It also offers some systems-driven reflections on a global > governance network for geoengineering. > > FILED UNDER: book reviews, climate engineering,geoengineering, Michael > Svoboda > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "geoengineering" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/geoengineering. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "geoengineering" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/geoengineering. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "geoengineering" group. 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